Colleges Compete for Top Honours at Harrogate Spring Show 2026

What a way to kick off the flower show season with blue skies and sunshine on the first day of the Harrogate Spring Show. A champion of floristry and flower arranging, the Floral Art Pavilion, one of the shows biggest draws, was buzzing with visitors appreciating the variety of floral artistry on view. The Pavilion was also the shop window for northern floristry colleges to show off their skills, and they took full advantage of it.

College Successes

All the floristry students involved had put a huge amount of planning, work and effort into their exhibits and it paid off, with no college picking up less than a silver. This was a perfect opportunity to put classroom learnt techniques into action, as well as benefiting from the practical, hands-on experience of planning and designing the staging and the mechanics involved. It was heartwarming and inspiring to see so many students at the show to view the finished results and pick up the positive feedback from visitors.

Gold Medal and Best in Show

Southport College

Congratulations to tutor Jane Robbins and her team who won Gold and Best in Show for their imaginative interpretation of the competition's theme, ‘All the Fun of the Fair,’ with a colourful helter-skelter and puppet theatre.

Silver Medals

Askham Bryan College: Swingboats

The boats do actually swing! They are overseen by an Edwardian lady wearing an intricately crafted waistcoat, apron and skirt, hand-made by the Askham Bryan students.

Bishop Burton College: Victorian Fortune Teller

Be sure to cross the palm of this realistic gypsy with silver as she sits by her caravan. Her floral dress is kept fresh by placing the flowers in buckets of water hidden underneath her skirt!

Doncaster College: Candyfloss & Carousels

Candy floss and carousels were the focal areas of this detailed display. The students made good use of gypsophila clouds and designed, built and decorated the charming carousel horses.

East Durham College: The Fairground Attraction

Neatness and precision were the key words for East Durham’s mechanical wonder, which also showed off the student's skills such as pipped hyacinths decorating a miniature hot air balloon.

Leeds City College: A Blast in the Past!

This human cannon ball, based on real-life Victorian circus performer Zazal, is surely far too beautifully dressed in her handmade costume to be fired from this almost life-size, floral cannon!

Northumberland College: Ticket Office

Every fairground needs a ticket office. This richly coloured design was full of imaginative details, right down to the ring masters shoes.

Shipley College: Clairvoyance: Flowers that Foretell

With a crystal ball cleverly constructed using two hanging baskets encased in wool, there were also some interesting choices of flower material, including seasonal cowslips (Primula veris).

Wigan & Leigh College: Hall of Mirrors

Not only was this full of colourful floral details, such as the Victorian children behind the scenes, this exhibit was great fun for visitors too.

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Su Whale is a florist and freelance writer with over thirty years' experience in the floristry industry. She is the author and publisher of three best-selling books: Cut Flowers, 4th edition (2020) Cut Foliage, 2nd Edition, (2021) and Houseplants (2019), all bookshelf essentials for the professional florist.